Arvind Kejriwal to appear before CBI today; 10 points on Delhi politics

The CBI will question Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today (16 April) in a case related to Delhi excise policy. The Delhi CM will have to appear at around 11 am IST on Sunday.

Kejriwal is being summoned as a witness and is not an accused in the excise policy case. Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, also a close friend of Kejriwal, has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) in the liquor policy case since 26 February.

Here are 10 updates on the Arvind Kejriwal-Delhi excise policy case:

1.It is alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The policy was later scrapped.

2.Delhi Police will deploy over 1,000 security personnel, including paramilitary forces, outside the CBI headquarters to ensure safety of Kejriwal.

Security will also be tightened outside the AAP office on Rouse Avenue.

3.CBI may quiz Kejriwal on the statements of other accused where they have indicated the manner in which policy was allegedly influenced to favour some liquor businessmen and the 'South liquor lobby'.

4. Kejriwal may also be asked if he was involved in the formulation of the policy before it was given approval.

5.Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Arvind Kejriwal said that BJP leaders were demanding his arrest and that if the saffron party had "ordered" the probe agency to arrest him, it cannot refuse to do so.

Kejriwal said no party in the 75-year history of independent India had been targetted like the AAP because it has given hope to people which no other party has been able to do so far.

Kejriwal alleged that the CBI and the ED "lied" in court that Sisodia destroyed 14 mobile phones to hide evidence.

"The seizure memo of ED shows that it has four of the 14 phones, while one was with the CBI. Our own investigation has revealed that the remaining nine phones (numbers) were active and being used by persons like AAP volunteers," he claimed.

6.He cited the names of several persons under the net in the excise case and alleged third-degree treatment of them.

“One Chandan Reddy was beaten so badly that his eardrums burst. A witness was pressured to sign a fabricated statement by threatening to jail his father and wife. Some others were coerced into giving false statements that they later withdrew in the courts," he claimed.

7.Opposition leaders like the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and JD(U) supremo and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar have expressed solidarity with Kejriwal and renewed calls to speed up opposition unity efforts to take on the BJP.

8.Kejriwal said he will sue the CBI and ED officials for alleged perjury and filing false affidavits in courts.

9.Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju took a jibe at Kejriwal over his sue CBI and ED remarks, saying the AAP leader will file a case against the court if convicted.

10.The AAP alleged that the Centre was "misusing" probe agencies to "harass" its leaders and preparing to arrest Kejriwal.